Individuals and organizations typically seek to protect their computing resources from corresponding security threats. For example, enterprise organizations may install client-side antivirus products on their computing devices to protect the devices from these security threats. Similarly, enterprise organizations may install a gateway-side firewall to filter unwanted network traffic from entering the organizations' computing networks.
The attackers who generate security threats for computing resources are becoming increasingly sophisticated and aggressive. For example, some attackers have developed a new type of security threat named ransomware. Ransomware may lock one or more computing resources from a user while demanding that the user perform some task, such as paying a fee, in exchange for releasing the computing resources from the lock. For example, ransomware may lock one or more of the backup files that a user backs up to a cloud-based storage system until the user pays the corresponding ransom fee. Traditional security mechanisms, such as conventional antivirus products and firewall products, may not be optimized for protecting users from new security threats, including ransomware, as outlined above. Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for protecting users from ransomware and other security threats.